Sequels in March 2014

March 26, 2014
Facebook buy Oculus for $2 billion

A rapid decision of Zuckerberg seemed to cause an allergic reaction. Notch, the developer of Mincraft declared to cancel providing one for Oculus Rift. Nonetheless, Markus "Notch" Persson is still enthusiastic for virtual reality.

PC Gamer: Notch cancels Minecraft Oculus Rift deal: "Facebook creeps me out"


March 19, 2014
Missing case of Malaysian Flight MH370

The truth regarding the missing aircraft is still yet to be revealed. There is no evidence of terrorism, although some strange facts were reported.

The Telegraph: Malaysia Airlines MH370: Sunday March 30 as it happened

There is a hypothesis by a Canadian pilot. He suggested the possibility of fire accident causing disconnection in the airplane. I do not have enough knowledge to judge his opinion, but I think he made a good point.

Chris Goodfellow

*Sequel


March 6, 2014
Death case of young CEO of Bitcoin

The death of Autumn Radtke has not identified as a suicide yet. Still, the incident shook the industry around virtual currency.

The Seattle Times: The baffling death in Singapore of young CEO with Bitcoin ties

Threes! and its clones in Android

Do you know an app on Android titled "Threes!"?　It is a well constructed puzzle game. It costs about $2 on Google Play.

Google Play: Threes!

The rule is quite simple. You can slide the panels on which some numbers are painted. The panels will be combined when touched each other which have the same number or whose sum is three. The more combined, the more you get a high score.

In spite of its plane look, it is an addictive game.

Soon after the release of "Threes!", several developers created other games with similar taste.

Google Play: 2048 Number Puzzle Game

This is an example. The purpose of this game is to create the number 2048.

Perhaps since it is a free game, it is more popular than the original "Threes!" "2048 Number Puzzle Game" got 11,198 "+1" marks in Google Play, whereas "Threes!" got only 9,232.

The creators of "Threes!" seem to feel not good at the situation. They published a post which reports the endeavor of developing this game on an official blog.

"The Rip-offs & Making Our Original Game"

I understand the emotion of the original creators. Developers of clone games tend to make more profit with less effort. However, I think it should not be blamed, unless they violated the copyright or other regulations. To copy the way of a pioneer to some extent is an effective strategy for weaker competitors, named as "Follower strategy." You can imagine the legal battle between Apple and Samsung. I also refer to Street Fighting Games, whom Capcom originally established with the release of "Street Fight II", and lots of followers created similar games. As a result, this kind of games became a subculture, so that many championship tournaments were held every year.

Therefore, I dare not criticize the way of the followers. Of course, the original should be respected.

Indeed, "2048 Number Puzzle Game" is not bad, even inferior to "Threes!". At last I won the game making 2048.

Financial crisis in Japan

Financial Times published an analysis regarding the economic situation in Japan recently.

Financial Times: Japanese debt: Still climbing (maybe members only)

It is a so long and complicated article that it is difficult for me to understand it completely. But I frequently hear about similar opinions. And I agree with this article on the outline.

Japan has kept a huge amount of debt for decades. Financial problem in Japan is very serious. In addition, the population of Japan is decreasing and aged persons are rapidly increasing. It means two things. First, Japanese government cannot expect the growth of taxable income. Second, the rise of expenditure for social security is inevitable. Of course, both of them are disadvantageous to Japan.

What should Japan do against these desperate conditions? Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, began to carry out his own solution, named Abenomics. It includes three major policies, a flexible fiscal policy, more aggressive monetary easing from the Bank of Japan, and various structural reforms to boost competitiveness.

As a result, Japan Yen was weakened dramatically. It was beneficial to some companies which depends on exportation of the products. Stock prices rose. At least, the first policy of Abenomics resulted successful.

However, he cannot find the next move. The decisive, and the most difficult matter is to show the way to economic growth. Abe declared the relaxation of several official regulations interfering competition, but has never accomplished. Continuous growth of economy is a great challenge for every country. I do not think Japan will grab the answer easily.

During struggling the stasis in the economy, Japan will face to the crisis of hyperinflation. The Abenomics aims 2% inflation in a year as a goal. But I am not sure the government and the Bank of Japan can handle this rate. Once the switch of inflation goes, the Japan bond will fall all at sudden. The author of this article refers to the words "the axle on a car with no brakes" which is commonly used by some economists.

Japan will raise the rate of consumption tax from 5% to 8% the next month. I believe it is correct for us. Normalization of financial in Japanese government, or at least the attempt for it, is essential for sustainability.

I am fearful about the future of Japan. All I can do is to try to improve my own creativity.

Mr. LinkedIn chosen as the greatest leader

Recently, Glassdoor published the list of CEOs who were approved as a leader. According to Glassdoor, this list was obtained from gathering the opinion of the employees in each company.

Glassdoor: Glassdoor’s Highest Rated CEOs 2014

The top of this list is Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn. It is amazing that he won the 100% of approval by the voters. To be honest, I am not sure how these percentages were calculated. Nevertheless, it may be certain that Weiner is more supported than Mark Zuckerberg (10th), Larry Page (11th), Tim Cook (18th), or Jeff Bezos (33rd).

TNW: Glassdoor: Employees rank LinkedIn’s Jeff Weiner as CEO of the year; Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg loses top spot

Mark Zuckerberg seated the top of the list in the last year. This does not mean his decline at all. Every 50 companies in the list are still visionaries.

By the way, every excellent leaders have some common characteristics. In my opinion, there are five conditions to be a good leader.

1. Drawing a vision
It is essential to be a head of a company. What is the goal of this organization? If not to answer this question clearly and immediately, he cannot be a leader.

2. Making a decision
A leader should make some important selection. To take a choice is to abandon an alternative. To resist the burden of decision is required as a leader.

3. Collaborating with others
Good leaders have lots of friends, as well as foes. Even a charismatic leader cannot accomplish a great performance without collaboration, at least in highly complicated modern society.

4. Taking a risk
A leader should take a risk. Power and reward are tradeoff with responsibility. There are lots of persons who are afraid being responsible to their own choice, far from leadership.

5. Being optimistic
A leader should be optimistic. Smiling gives bystanders energy. Too realistic is sometimes disadvantageous for a leader. Pessimistic thoughts are more safe, but less fruitful. Many leaders have confidence without evidence. Of course, such leaders need a genius subordinate.

Cloud drives on sale

Recently, online storages became considerably cheaper. Google ignited the discount, and Amazon followed.

TechCrunch: Google Drive Gets A Big Price Drop, 100GB Now Costs $1.99 A Month

TechCrunch: In Response To Google, Amazon Announces Massive Price Cuts For S3, EC2, ElastiCache, Elastic MapReduce And RDS

According to their articles, we can purchase 1TB HDD on the cloud with only $10 in a month. One terabyte is much enough for you to store almost all documents, videos, and pictures you want to do so. If you buy a Hard Drive Disc, it will cost over $50. You have to maintain it. Costs around an operating system, enough space, and protection from computer viruses should be are also considered. Which is better depends on some conditions around you, although cloud storage is now a realistic option for many people.

I myself have some PCs to save the data. The other days, I administered a Windows Home Server however, I quitted it due to the complexity of its maintenance. I also use Microsoft One Drive to synthesize the data which are important to my work.

Microsoft may also be preparing for the war of cloud. It has administered Windows Azure for several years. However, Microsoft Windows and its softwares are not well compatible with cloud storage. Its business model is based on selling softwares bundled with PCs. You may know that Windows are adopted as the OS for many automated teller machines (ATM).

In contrast, Google has developed natively on the cloud. But Google is not a company to sell online storages. Its own purpose is gathering data on their storages to make their search engine more effective.

More or less, we are going to the era of the cloud. IT companies will be invisible in our daily life in the near future.

Facebook buy Oculus for $2 billion

Oculus VR, a startup company dealing with virtual reality, is going to join to Facebook. Facebook declared to buy Oculus VR for $2 billion and Oculus accepted it.

The Verge: Facebook buying Oculus VR for $2 billion

TechCrunch: Facebook To Buy Oculus VR, Maker Of The Rift Headset, For Around $2B In Cash And Stock

The Oculus VR team stated that their partnership will let them overcome many challenges to develop more impressive products with virtual reality in an official blog.

Oculus VR: Oculus Joins Facebook

Is this deal a truly happy wedding?

I guess Oculus is very pleased with this purchase. Oculus launched a new gaming machine "Oculus Rift" last year. It looks innovative. For more advancement, Oculus needs a large amount of cash. Nowadays, it is extremely expensive to develop a new game software with detailed computer graphics. It also costs to improve the spec of hardwares. Oculus will be satisfied with the compensation Facebook offers. In addition, Facebook declares that it allows Oculus to continue the current work, as well as Instagram.

On the other hand, Facebook is, not to say, a gigantic company. Its advantage is the enormous number of accounts using Facebook. Most of its profit derives from advertisement. Connecting people and gathering information about their personal interests are inevitable for Facebook for survival. It is unclear whether Oculus will contribute to the goal of Facebook.

It is certain that Facebook is indifferent to gaming machine by Oculus. Facebook is also dealing with computer game products, but they are not so successful. The main reason is that only a few users are willing to play games via Facebook. The market of simple games working on a web browser is a red ocean. Facebook has no solution to spread Oculus Rift to developing countries.

Perhaps Zuckerberg is considering another way to utilize virtual reality. He stated that Facebook is planning to develop a new platform other than the mobile which is now dominant. There are lots of opportunity to utilize virtual reality, such as education, communication, creation, and so on. I hope they will collaborate with each other effectively.


*Sequel

Pollinosis

It is a joke that a foreigner came to Japan suspected that most of the Japanese are surgeons. There are very lots of people who equip a nasal mask in spring in Japan. They intend to protect themselves from pollen.

I also have been suffering from pollinosis for several years. As far as I remember, it began when I was late 20s and is getting worse by years. Every spring, frequent sneeze and severe itching around eyes attack me. I hardly concentrate on my task, since hay fever get rid of my stamina. I am always sleepy and feel depressed. It is so serious that I hope to go abroad in this season. However, April is the beginning of fiscal year in Japan. Thus, I am considerably busy not to stay in a foreign country.

As a principle to treat pollinosis, you have to take some medicine in advance. After you expose to pollen, the effect of antiallergic drugs is reduced. I began to take medicine at the end of Feburary till the last year.

But I could not identify any benefit of antiallergic drugs. Still I suffered during taking medicine. So I quitted utilizing medication this year.

However, I felt extremely sick. At last, I decided to consult a doctor, to ask a prescription of medicine.

I have tried some types of drug. My favorite was fexofenadine because it did not cause drowsiness. At this time the doctor prescribed levocetirizine hydrochloride for me. It will be better. I wish the extinction of all kinds of pollen.

Butterfly Effect, a time leaping movie

Yesterday, I watched the movie "Butterfly Effect" on DVD. This film is popular as a sort of thriller with a reversal storyline.

The hero suffered from memory lapse in his childhood. After growing up, he acquires a time leap ability all at sudden. He can return to the past using his old diary. Meanwhile, he gradually regains his missing memory. Then he is forced to know what he did which had ruined the life of his sweetheart. He decides to go back to the past for saving her. However, the more he challenges, the more the reality gets worse.

Time leaping is an imaginary ability with which you can return to the past. Perhaps you have some experience that you thought it would be better if you could do. After making a critical mistake, you could retry it. Wonderful!

"Butterfly Effect" is a term used in Chaos theory. It means that a tiny movement can cause serious result indirectly. The fact that a butterfly began to fly in Africa may be the reason of sudden onset of world war. It is ridiculous, but no one can completely reject its possibility.

Similar to the Butterfly Effect, some certain behaviors the hero acted in the past influence decisively in the future.

With all efforts to avoid tragic outcome, he is trapped in a vicious circle. He loses something precious by every time he attempts time leaping. His friends and relatives are also involved. At last, he makes the final decision.

This is an attractive film. The plot is well sophisticated. Unfortunately, however, some descriptions about a mental hospital and a psychiatrist are not realistic at all.

I think that the hero is not so clever. He could act more wisely to make change the past. It is possible that gaining a special ability makes a person reckless.

To be honest, some failures of the hero in the past were no more tiny to be called as the Butterfly Effect. Compared to this, "The Oxford Murders" is a much better example of the Butterfly Effect.

There are lots of work describing time leaping. In Japan, "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry; a computer graphic novel)" and "Puella Magi Madoka Magica (an animation film)" I mentioned in the past are popular. "Nana-kai Shinda Otoko (A man who died 7 times; a novel)" is also good. Indeed, time leaping is more familiar with computer games than a novel or a movie. As a principle, many computer games are created for repeated playing. You can find something new when you play the game again. It resembles to time leap experience. In addition, there are several works dealing with time leap in the main feature. "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward" (I introduced in the past) is typical.

Personal Rating: 4 (good)

Think like an employer

There are enormous kinds of job in the world. Some persons belong to a company, others found a business. Their lifestyles are varied each other, depending on the position.

The duty of an employee is to obey a command of his boss. However, some people recommend him to make a habit to think as if he is the employer. According to them, it helps you to think on your own, broaden the perspective, and let your mind more flexible.

Others are opposed, say that thinking with responsibility is a waste of time. I can often see the ironic words "No value of work, pay for it" at the internet. Fortunately, I have never been heard about it directly.

It is certain that few workers would get a power to control their own work. Most of them cannot be given the freedom to choose the priority of several tasks. On such occasion, it seems to be worthless considering the meaning of the task in front of them.

Nevertheless, I believe that it is invaluable to have an eye of an employer for every businessperson. There are three reasons for it.

1. Training for problem solving
Deep thinking is a key to solve problems. When you invent a solution, the only thing you can do may be to make laugh behind the office because your boss has no ear to listen to you. In this case, the process to find your own solution will be utilized in another situation. Problem solving skill is trainable, and acquired through practice.

2. Servant leadership
Even if you are a subordinate under a stupid boss, never abandon improving the creativity at this position. As many Japanese misinterpreted, leadership is not bound for a boss. You have some opportunities to carry out your own plan under the control of someone else. You can even take a control without any power. This kind of thought is paid attention as "Servant Leadership."

3. Possibility in the future
It is a pitfall to identify the engagement in a task without profit as in vain. If you are involved in completely simple and boring task forever, you need not think with your own brain. Indeed, it is an unrealistic assumption. Someday, you may be fired, and you have to start your own business. Then, the idea you created in the past will be beneficial.

After all, it is absolutely good for you to think deeply and critically, regardless of the nature of your job.

Akihabara trip

I visited Akihabara (Akiba) after a while, to seek some foreign games and DVDs.

Akiba is popular as the center of electric gadgets not only for Japanese but also for foreigners. I have visited Akiba frequently since I was a schoolboy. Of course Akiba has been changed considerably.

A couple of decades ago, Akiba was a city exclusively for experts. There were lots of odd stores dealing with junk parts. Roots were complicated. Most of all, information about this region was limited. We had to listen to pioneers for a walk.

In 1990s, Akiba installed other subcultures besides electricity, such as comic books　and animation. It became a sanctuary of Geeks. Then, some maid cafes opened in this region in 2000s. Soon, we could see lots of maid costumed girls at almost all corners in Akiba. After years, however, many cafes were forced to be closed due to financial problem.

Ten years ago, since I lived near to Akiba, I visited Akiba almost every weekend. Different from the past, I frequent saw women walking around there. Nonetheless, there were lots of narrow roads and dirty buildings. It was a chaotic and fantastic landscape.

The rising of AKB48 in 2005 was decisive. This powerful idol group began to sing choosing Akiba as the home ground. Many adults got fanatic to watch and shake hands with the members. The symbol of Akiba was altered from maids to idols.

Nowadays, there are many idol groups in each area in Japan. Although Akiba still keeps the position as the origin of local idols, it is no more special city to meet an idol.

Today, I failed to get something worthy in Akiba. Unfortunately, shopping malls are inferior to Amazon.com to find a rare gadget, recently. I am afraid that Akiba will not be precious for geeks.

By the way, there are lots of restaurants offering a large amount of meal with low cost. It is certain that Akiba is targeting younger people. I am wondering about the future of Akiba.

Smartphone control in Korea and Japan

Nowadays, Smartphone is widespread as many people cannot survive daily life without it. However, there are lots of problems around it. For example, children sometimes indulge in the internet and social network. It may cause serious damage to them. In some countries, attempts to restrict the usage of smartphones are ongoing.

An application to restrict some functions was installed to school children's smartphones in Seoul. According to government officials, it can take a control over the machines remotely, to disconnect the phone calls and disable some apps, except emergency call. It would help teachers to prevent adverse usage by students in the schools. This trial has been done in at least 11 schools. However, some technical problems occurred, such as rooting by some students.

The Verge: South Korean schools are remotely disabling students' smartphones

Meanwhile, a new regulation for the use of Smartphone was established in Japan. The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and some local associations in Kariya city collaborated to start a rule. It prohibited school children from using smartphone after 9 PM.

JDP: Japanese city introduces smartphone ‘curfew’ for school children

Different from Korean case, this scheme has no compulsive power. Children can turn on his smartphone in the prohibited term, if he wants to do so. In an interview, Fushitoshi Ohashi, the principal of Karigane junior high school, said that the purpose of this rule was not only to protect the industrious school life of the students but also to offer an excuse to the students. According to him, students are compulsive to look at social networking, and they would be bullied if they failed to reply to their friends. Under this regulation, students can be free from the duty of checking messages at night.

Compared to Korean style, Japanese looks quite loose. This difference depends on each culture and situation. Harmful internet using is so serious in Korea. Perhaps the government has to make some decisions to avoid further problems. On the other hand, if stricter rules were introduced, many students and even parents would be opposed in Japan.

Missing case of Malaysian Flight MH370

This accident is changing to a modern myth. Ten days have passed after the missing of Flight MH370 with 239 passengers on board on March 8. Though Malaysian government and relevant organizations searched wide ranged region, little has not been proven about the destiny of this aircraft.

Financial Times: Hunt for missing airliner expanded to 25 countries

Mirror: Live: Updates in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

According to the media, the last words of the pilots were "All right, good night." It is hardly estimated that some critical accidents occurred all at sudden just after the conversation with the air traffic control center. Even so, it is strange that no evidence of attempted contact of the airplane was detected for long hours.

So, was the connection jammed by someone intentionally? It is suspected that an automatic tracking system had been disabled before the airplane disappeared.

Daily e-mail news alarts: Flip-flop over ACARS switch off time, FBI help, adding to MH370 muddle, say reports

There is a hypothesis that a passenger could hack the autopilot system with his Smartphone. An application to take a control over the aircraft was introduced in a conference held in the last year. However, there is a broad argument around the technique. First of all, a pilot can turn off the autopilot system anytime. In addition, several airline companies declared that aircraft controlling systems were not so vulnerable to being hacked.

Huffpost: Malaysia Airlines MH370 Hacked? 'Planesploit' Mobile Phone Exploit Demonstrated In 2013 Raises Terrifying Questions

Some commitment must have been published if this issue belonged to a hijack case. Two thirds of the passengers were Chinese. Is it possible that the criminal is negotiating with Chinese government secretly? I do not think so. It is extremely difficult to keep hundreds persons alive without any confusion for ten days. There is no reason for the hijackers to hide the airplane and passengers together.

After all, the truth is yet revealed. Sunday Sports reported that the missing aircraft was found on the moon.

Elite Daily: A British Tabloid Has Found The Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight… And It’s On The Moon

It is merely a joke, but lots of rumors will be heated, unless solved. I hope that passengers are safe.


*Sequel
**Sequel

The thing without "Love Never Dies," with "The Phantom of the Opera"

Just day before yesterday, I watched "Love Never Dies" Japanese localized version in Tokyo. It is the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera", a world famous musical show written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Ms. Ayaka Hirahara was acting as Christine in the day. She is one of the leading classic singers in Japan. Her song was so splendid, although her act were not so distinguishable.

As I mentioned before about the thought after watching a blue ray disc, I do not appreciate this work very much. So I dare not to criticize the story again, it is enough to say the title should be replaced to "Love Ever Dies".

Listening again at the theater, I noticed the absolute lack of this musical. Indeed, the scores were not bad, nor inferior to the previous one. "Love Never Dies" and some songs were so artistic. However, there is a critical disadvantage, compared to The Phantom of the Opera.

Love Never Dies has several similarities to The Phantom of the Opera in terms of the construction. There are lots of comparisons between these two musicals.

In the opening "The Coney Island Waltz" lets us remember "The Hannibal" in The Phantom of the Opera. The main theme "Love Never Dies" is an aria sung by the heroine, resembling "Think of Me" in The Phantom of the Opera. A harmonious Duet with Christine and Phantom "Beneath a Moonless Sky" is recalling "The Phantom of the Opera" in which Phantom described his love for Christine for the first time. In the number "The Beauty Underneath", Phantom invites Gustave to his own kingdom decorated with creatures. It definitely refers to "Music of the Night" in The Phantom of the Opera. And the last scene of Act 1 with moaning Madame Giry is mirroring raging Phantom at the last cut of Act 1 in The Phantom of the Opera.

Then, which is my favorite song in The Phantom of the Opera? It is "Down Once More / Track Down This Murderer", definitely.

In the last scene, Phantom attempts to kill Raul, the lover of Christine. Christine asks Phantom to let him go, but Phantom forces her to choose the guy she loves. If she chooses Raul, he would kill him. Then, the three casts begin to sing simultaneously in each part. Christine makes curse to Phantom for the first time. Raul regrets to his reckless behavior and shows his preparedness. And Phantom declares that this is the point of no return. The three voices are harmonious with absolute grace. I commit that this scene is the most miraculous unity of all musicals.

In contrast, Andrew failed to provide this kind of unity at the last conflict in Love Never Dies.

Considering the tragic and impulsive plot, it is difficult to make the main casts sing together in the last scene. However, "Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back" by Phantom is too weak to decorate the finale. It is so regrettable. I can imagine an excuse of a spineless guy in this number. This is the critical disadvantage in Love Never Dies.

Selection and concentration of Firefox

Mozilla published that it withdrew developing Firefox for Modern UI in Windows 8.

Mozilla: Update on Metro

Bit-tech: Mozilla drops Firefox for Modern UI plans

According to a press release, the main reason of giving up is the lack of fertile market. Being different from the desktop version, there were only less than 1000 active users of Firefox for Modern.

Mozilla declared that it would focus on other products. I guess it means Firefox OS and the smartphones equipping it. In the last year, Mozilla began to deliver Firefox OS in 15 countries. Since it is an open software, any carriers can introduce it with low cost. It helps to spread smartphones into developing countries. Now Mozilla has developed a $25 smartphone.

VB News: Mozilla’s $25 Firefox phone is a direct threat that Nokia never saw coming
http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/24/the-newly-announced-25-firefox-os-smartphone-is-being-heard-clearly-by-nokia/

Mobile phones have become a commodity gradually during a couple of decades. Young people seldom use wired telephones. Recently we hardly recognize a smartphone as a delicate machine. Meanwhile, it is going to difficult to make profit by developing a new smartphone. I am not sure Mozilla will be successful in mobile phone market.

Install Chrome OS into EeeKeyboard

The end of Windows XP is approaching. Microsoft has declared the withdrawal of supporting this OS. Many users have to make a decision whether they abandon their old PCs.

One of the choices which is a little aggressive is to install Chrome OS. Chrome is an open source OS powered by Google. This OS itself is available for free. You can get it here, for instance.

I have some PCs whose OS is still Windows XP. One is EeeKeyboard by ASUS. It equips a small touch screen aside the keyboard. The CPU is Atom. To be honest, it did not work very well. It frequently froze. I thought that overwriting it with Windows 7 would be reckless. Therefore, I tried Chrome.

First, I got a Chrome image via this site.

Vanilla is one of Chrome OS, which can be booted on a USB memory. I wrote the image into a USB memory stick with WIN32 Disk Imager.

I changed the setting of the BIOS in EeeKeyboard, to specify the external storage as boot device. Then, Chrome OS started easily.

Unfortunately, however, Chrome could not recognize any network adapter. Any WiFi signals were not detected. I connected LAN cable, to fail. I had to get a USB WiFi adapter connected. USB devices were working, as well as an optical mouse.

Booting was successful. I installed Chrome OS into the internal SSD with command terminal. I opened the terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T. Type "install", password "facepunch", then, "y". Chrome said "cross your finger" why?

Finally, I rebooted it successfully. This is my second Chrome PC, followed by this one.

Touch panel was not working. To begin, it is too small to utilize. Of course, EeeKeyboard equips D-sub 15pins and HDMI monitor connectors. You can mirror the display with pushing Ctrl+F4.

The flash was working well. But the sound was troubled.

Anyway, how to use it?

One connecter law for mobile phones in EU

The EU has created a new regulation regarding the connecter of cellphones.

Engadget: EU law to require that all cellphones charge through a common standard

The Inquirer: European Parliament votes for a single charger standard

According to the new regulation, any mobile phone providers will be required to equip a standard battery charger with their products. European parliament aims to improve usability of smartphones through avoiding the chaos of many connecters.

In Japan, each feature phone has its own connecter. NTTdocomo, KDDI, and Softbank developed their chargers different from each other, the other day. Moving data from one to another was so difficult. There are some octopus-like converters developed by some companies.

Nowadays, however, almost all smartphones are adopting micro USB connecter. The only exception is Apple iPhone.

Therefore, I am doubtful that this legislation will be effective.

To begin, it will be in 2017 that all products is united. It is too late. Furthermore, nobody knows which kind of connecter will be dominant in the future. The micro USB is planned to be replaced with Type-C in 2014, but it will need a couple of years to spread the new shape. In 2017, someone would have been developed a new connecter which is more efficacious.

After all, this regulation will be against Apple only. Apple has been developed several unique standards such as firewire and lightning. Although they have not been beneficial, forced integration will be worse.

My history of IELTS

Today, I received the latest result of IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
I am extremely glad to know the band score has reached 7.0.

I have taken the IELTS four times (the first, the second, and the third). I have learned about each 4 skills equally. However, the improvement varied each other.

Generally speaking, listening is deemed to be easy to develop in the short term. I was quite bad at listening in the beginning of learning English. Finally, I got the highest mark at listening. To be honest, however, listening test in IELTS is relatively easy, compared to TOEFL. I knew some tips about the exam. To be accustomed with this test is also important. I have even much difficulty in listening.

Reading is the part I am confident the most. I got full marks once in a self practice. Unfortunately, I failed to complete answering all the questions in the latest exam. Reading passages in IELTS are so long that the skimming speed is essential.

I felt writing skill is the most difficult to develop. I got some English teachers to correct my essays. As you know on my blog, my writing skill is even limited. I must endeavor further. By the way, it is hard to estimate the score of writing. I do not know why my first score was quite low.

I experienced troubles in speaking test recurrently. I trained my speaking skill with some Skype English online school almost everyday for a half year. The result is not fruitful. In late 2 trials, I had a couple of mistakes, as I paused for a while. They might be critical. If possible, my potential values at 7.0.

Anyway, my English skills are still developing. I decided to restart the training so far.

Google vs. China

Google has installed a new scheme of encryption into its search engine. It makes the censoring activities of Chinese government difficult.

The Washington Post: Google is encrypting search globally. That’s bad for the NSA and China’s censors.

According to Washington Post, the words inputted in the search box is encrypted before sending the server of Google. Therefore, the investigator cannot know which words are issued on the PC. Not only China but also NSA in the US is affected.

Google says it is a technology for privacy protection. But I think that it is naive to accept the statement of Google as it says. Rather, Google analyzes all the data in G-mail for optimization of advertisement. Its purpose is to gather the data as much as possible. The population of China reaches 1 billion and the 60％ of them use the internet. If they use Google search without the anxiety of being censored by the government, Google will gain much potential market.

Of course, some activists in China are welcoming  the policy of Google. The risk to let a certain company know your personal information is not so high; maybe you will see more ad-mail. Instead, Google will protect you from the powerful government.

We cannot live without the internet. And the internet is going to reveal anything in the world. Utopia declared by Mark Zackerburg is coming.

Issue about fabrication of research

Currently, fabrication of research is paid broad attention in Japan.

Recently, Novartis, a famous drug industry and some researchers are criticized due to publishing inappropriate results about the efficacy of Valsartan, a hypertension drug. This issue was so serious that the government began to investigate it as a criminal case.

Science insider: Novartis's Japan Unit Faces Criminal Probe for Hypertension Drug Marketing

A brand new study of STAP cell is also deemed strongly untrustworthy. The researchers are considering to retract the articles published in Nature, a world famous academic journal.

Mainichi: Japan gov't urges laboratory to probe STAP cell paper

It is not a problem occurred only in Japan. The number of retracted article is rapidly increasing. Approximately the half of the cases include some intentional misconducts, according to an investigation.

Plos One: A Comprehensive Survey of Retracted Articles from the Scholarly Literature 

Of course, there are some reasons why unwilling researches are born. The data show there are considerable cases with ethical problems. Fortunately, I have never been involved in such a wicked case. But I heard a certain researcher made an intentional control of the materials for preferable result. Most researchers are struggling to get a fund for further research. But once a research results in failure the fund would be cancelled. So researchers are forced to be obsessive to get a positive result.

I guess the researchers in other cases are more naive. If without any menace, some researchers make a fatal error which is deemed as a fabrication. It is due to lack of literacy. Plagiarism is also frequent, although the writer often do not recognize as they do.

In the US, rehabilitation and education program has been started for the researchers who committed an injustice. This aims to teach and repair them as potentially talented researchers. I knew about this matter from Etitage, a proofreading company.

PI Program

Nature News: ‘Rehab’ helps errant researchers return to the lab

In Japan, re-training course for car drivers, and physicians, who make accidents frequently is discussed. The outcome is uncertain, however, and great difficulties are anticipated to carry out these attempts.

I think there are three conditions for success of such special courses. First, it is essential that the trainee has no intention to do an injustice again. Pathological perpetrators are not suitable for ordinary rehabilitation. Second, a program is most effective when the trainee has lack of some essential skills. Something other than skills (e.g. Ethical mind, executive function) is hardly acquired in normal training Third, if the trainee has another way to live, I recommend him to change the occupation. The car driving technique is indispensable in rural area. The number of physicians is limited. Therefore, such skills are worthy to regain. But how about researchers?

The fallacy of the last day

Our lives are definitely precious. There is no another chance for you to reborn. Every day you are going to die. So your body and spirit should be respected.

Followed by the fact, some people say, "You should live everyday as if today is your last day."

Actually, I do not like this sentence.

This proverb emphasizes the readiness for your daily life. It is no doubt that you should be aware of usual life. I believe that the ultimate answer of the riddle of my whole life is in my daily life, not in an extraordinary experience.

However, if you will die at the end of today, how will you do?

The answer depends on your own status. I guess most people will not do anything special. And, I am doubtful that you will make an effort for the future in your last day.

Endeavor, learning, and training are some kinds of investment to reap a fruit in the future. We can be patient only when we estimate the profit. Of course, there is some labor not for rewards. Nonetheless, I will not able to struggle if I cannot expect any positive outcome. Consider, if tomorrow is the Armageddon, you must eat all sweets in front of you today!

So, I do not use this phrase.

Instead, I dare to say, "You should do as if it is the last chance for you."

Life looks long lasting, but the reality is not. Suddenly it will end. Not to regret at the time, we have to do anything we would like to do. Today may be the last opportunity.

New generation of optical disc

Sony and Panasonic announced that they set a format of optical disc for a new generation.

Engadget: Sony and Panasonic announce the Archival Disc, a new optical disc standard for long-term storage

This is named as "Archival Disc." Its volume of storage will reach 1TB. They are planning to sell this new product to the companies which need invulnerable recording media.

I think that the era of optical disc has nearly ended. Sony won the current position of the Blue Ray Disc (BD), defeating Toshiba and Microsoft, which were on the side of HD DVD. However, BD has not been broadened to consumers yet.

First, BD has not replaced DVD yet. Many BDs are bundled with DVD and/or digital copy service. Second, although BD can store 50 GB, it is too big for individual and too small for industrial use. For most users, the memory stick is more convenient as a storage. Third, the development of telecommunication has completely changed our trend of  watching movies. Nowadays, the mainstream is streaming via the internet. It considerably interferes selling BD media.

Therefore, the decision of Sony and Panasonic defining the use of the new optical disc as industrial storage is rational. There are colossal data to be preserved permanently in many industries. And the amount will be rapidly increasing.

By the way, I wonder how they ensure the immortality of the data recorded in an Archival Disc. Every material is vulnerable to time. There was a rumor that CD would not be able to be played 20 years after. Fortunately, this rumor seems to be not realized. Nonetheless, regular backup will be necessary to guarantee the completeness of data.

The four reasons not to trust the medical information in the media

Nowadays, there are enormous information regarding medical knowledge. The television broadcasts programs about newly treatment almost everyday. Some newspapers offer a special article of current medicines. We sometimes see the news about medical accidents occurred in a famous hospital. Most bookshops equip an identified corner to exhibit medical writings. In addition, there are innumerable website dealing with medical information.

Are you surprised if I declare that most of them are not trustworthy? Indeed, I recommend my patients not to watch them so frequently. They are harmful to patients currently suffering from illnesses.

Of course, I dare not to ensure all of them are useless. Occasionally, it is helpful for some patients to refer to such information. I had several experiences aided by the information I was taught by the patients. Nonetheless, it is highly estimated that you should avoid being exposed in medical information, in general.

There are the reasons:

1. Information from the media are inclined.
To begin with, media report is inclined as a principle. It is obvious that too ordinary facts are not valuable for news. Media does not report the successful treatment of common cold. In contrast, when a person died due to common cold, the media would report in detail. On the contrary, extremely rare disease tends to be reported by the media. However, it is unlikely for you to utilize the information on this infrequent disease.

2. Information from the media is not likely to be applicable to you.
Related to the previous issue, media may choose an extraordinary case as a material of the report. You can imagine as if you were the patient. But the real situation is different. Even if the media tells that a certain new treatment is innovative to cure the disease you suffer, it is uncertain whether your status is indicative of the treatment.

3. You would be biased to seek some particular information.
Everyone is anxious when get sick. You would be sensitive to some information critical for you. If you see a desperate case, you will be depressed unnecessarily. Or you may believe some excessively optimistic information without evidence. Both of them are harmful to you. The only persons who know your precise condition are you and your doctor in charge, not the media.

4. There is some misinformation.
Unfortunately, there are full of incorrect information about health. The technique of this region is developing everyday. Some information by the media are too old. In addition, you should be aware that there are some wicked persons to rob you of money. They are planning to take advantage of your feeling of unease.

Actually, I also sometimes make a mistake. Some media publish quite noteworthy information. Nevertheless, it is decisive that who is responsible for the health of the patient is the doctor. When you get medical information which shake you, I strongly recommend you to tell the doctor about it first, before calling to the TV station.

Kiki's delivery service, professionalism for startup

Today, I watched a movie on cinema, titled, "Kiki's delivery service."

This originates from a Japanese fantasy novel for children, written by Eiko Kadono. Formerly, an animation movie was published from the novel in 1985. The director was Hayao Miyazaki, a world famous animation director.

Kiki, the heroine is 13 years old girl. Since her mother is a witch, she is able to fly on a broom. As a ritual of initiation, Kiki has to leave her home, to stay in a foreign town for a year, getting along with the citizens with her magical force. Flying in the sky is the only ability of hers. Therefore, Kiki decides to start a delivery service in a seaside town.

This storyline is a metaphor of a departure of an adolescent. Kiki has to encounter some incidents in her new hometown, some of which are hardly acceptable. These tough experiences make her unconfident of her own ability. Discouragement gets rid of her own potential. She faces a great crisis of self identity. You know this is an archetype of a way of life.

I was impressed with a person in this story. She is Ms. Osono, administering a bakery with her husband. She is also an expecting mother.

She was the first person who admitted Kiki as a citizen. Her statements were filled with full of professionalism. At the first contact to Kiki, she scolded her, saying "Here is a bakery. Do not come in with a broom!" But after a while, she decided to let Kiki live in her windmill. She said, "It's fun to live with a witch." Her behaviors showed her strict thought of her working place and sensibility for novelty. Both are essential for businesspersons.

At the beginning of Kiki's delivery, no one asked her for the service. Osono said to Kiki, "It took some years for me to get off the ground as a baker." Grabbing a certain amount of customers is quite difficult for a beginner of business. She continued, "Go out for advertisement, instead of sitting here." Yeah, aggressive advertisement is necessary in this situation.

In the middle of the story, a rumor that witches deliver a curse with the items was spread. Many receivers returned the items Kiki had delivered. Kiki was disappointed to know it. Then, Osono suggested, "Kiki, return all the items to the senders, claiming that you cannot do anything other than flying." The point is that, the clients relied on Kiki, at least once, even if the receivers didn't. Therefore, the first thing Kiki should do is to regain the trust of the past clients. Osono did not lose herself in such a desperate situation, rather she could make the best decision as an owner. Unfortunately, Kiki could not accept the proposal.

Actually, the main theme of this film is "to believe yourself." It is not a bad idea, of course. However, I was glad to listen to the words of Osono.

Personal Rating: 4 (good)

New standard of adoption in Google

Recently, Laszlo Bock, the senior vice president of Google commented about the standard of adoption as an employee.

The New York Times: How to Get a Job at Google

Google was famous in which some unique methods, such as Fermi estimate, were adopted for evaluation of candidates in a recruitment setting. However, Google accepted that these brain teasers were not trustworthy to distinguish some candidates with high potential from others, as I mentioned before. And what happened?

Bock counted five attributes which he had an eye regarding adoption, instead of GPA.


1. Coding ability
Nothing to say, coding ability is essential to work in Google. Half of the employees are engineers who are required programming skill.

2. Leadership
This is very frequently mentioned matter about this issue. Bock said that leadership is not only to command others, but also to withdraw to let someone else take an important role. In Japan, it is also emphasized recently. For example, Yasuyo Iga published a book "Saiyo-kijun (Standard of adoption)" based on her experience of recruiting in McKinsey. In this book she focused on the need for leadership in every organization.

3. Humility
It is interesting that Google chose this ability. According to Bock, a person who has intellectual humility can easily change his own claim when he noticed he was wrong. It represents his flexibility. I agree with this idea from my own experience. Accepting my error is a difficult thing.

4. Ownership
Ownership should coincide with humility. If either is lacking, cooperation would be lost. Bock described the relationship as Big Ego and Small Ego. Indeed, an excellent leader has both strong ideology and suppleness.


5. Expertise
Google pays little attention to expertise, surprisingly. Bock made an irony: what experts can do with ease would be done by anyone. As a result, the rate of employees without BA is increasing in Google.


The contents Bock mentioned will be applicable to most of the companies. Every employer wants subordinates who have leadership, humility, and ownership. Then, how to evaluate these abilities? How to grow them? As a manager, I am always annoyed by these matters.

Death case of young CEO of Bitcoin

I was surprised to watch an article of financial times entitled "Singapore police probe death of virtual currency exchange chief" just now.

Ms. Autumn Radtke was an 28 years old woman. She was an American CEO of a currency exchange. Her body was found at an apartment block in Singapore in late Feb, according to the police. The FT described that her death was "unnatural," whereas some other media strongly suspect that she committed suicide. The cause of her death has been yet under investigation. Slate.com warns not to label the case as a suicide related to Bitcoin easily.

Mail Online: American Bitcoin exchange CEO found dead in her Singapore home after suspected suicide at age 28

News.com.au: Bitcoin exchange boss, Autumn Radtke, found dead of suspected suicide in Singapore

Slate.com: Did the “Bitcoin CEO” Just Commit Suicide? Not So Fast.

Ms. Autumn seems to have been a very active woman. The other day, she had offered softwares to Apple. She had also belonged to Xfire, a leading gaming company. She had lived in Singapore since 2008. In 2012, she was recruited to First Meta, a virtual currency exchange, as a CEO.

Hollywood Life: Bitcoin CEO’s Suicide — 5 Things To Know About Autumn Radtke

What happened to her is still unclear. But anyway, the death of a young woman is a tragedy. I pray for her.


*Sequel

Five essences for beautiful sleep

As I mentioned yesterday, sleep is essential to maintain your health. Good sleep brings a happy life to you. Unfortunately, there are lots of people who are suffering from insomnia. Surprisingly, one-third of adults is anticipated to have a problem with sleep, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Sleep is one of a basis of human behavior. Therefore, we are seldom conscious about the importance of sleep. However, there are some indispensable matter to recognize regarding sleep. I refer 5 things you should know.

1. Our day cycle is not 24 hours.
The human brain has its own clock. It is called the circadian rhythm. It is the reason why you feel sleepy even if you are inside a building whole a day. It is a little strange, however, the circadian rhythm is not exactly 24 hours, estimated to be 25 hours.
Therefore, if you live completely on your own, you day cycle would be warped. You may be bad in the morning. To avoid this and adjust your rhythm, you have to be exposed to the sunshine in the morning.
Sunlight has a great power. Mild depression can be cured with daylight therapy.

2. At least 6 hours of sleep are required.
It is an unsolved question how long you should sleep in a day. Some persons need 7 hours a day, others need 8 hours. There is a difference in each individuals about this matter. Nonetheless, I have to say that, 6 hours a day is the minimum requirement. Some experiments indicated that persons who took sleep less than 6 hours in the last night showed cognitive impairment at an examination of attention. Worse, they were unconscious that they were suppressed in their ability. You must not ride a car after night shift work.

3. Daytime sleep is considerably harmful.
As you know, taking a nap is very relieving. But you should be cautious about the adverse effect of sleep in daytime. It causes damage for night sleep.
It is uncertain about the way of secure napping. Some researchers claim you should not sleep after 4 pm. Some insist that you have to limit daytime sleep in 30 minutes. Some recommend not to lie, but napping on the chair is acceptable.
More or less, it is no doubt that, you should be awake in the daytime if you want good sleep.

4. A bed should be exclusively used for sleep (and sex.)
There are many persons who enjoy lying on the bed to take some actions: browsing the internet, watching TV, or even eating. They are quite vicious habits. Quit immediately.
When you cannot fall asleep in 30 minutes, I recommend you to get up. You can read a book, listen to music, or write a novel, but in a study, not in the bed! The bed is a place to sleep. The more you stay in the bed without sleep, the more your brain learns so.

5. We cannot stock sleep, but debt can be.
Some people describe that they can stock sleep to prepare for upcoming tough work. Unfortunately, it is not proven that humans can charge sleeping time in advance. Instead, lack of sleep will remain for approximately 2 weeks. It is a hypothesis by Nathaniel Kleitman, who found REM sleep. Debt of sleep helps you to fall asleep easily. Of course it is not beneficial for you. It merely means that you are tired.

Stress reducing activities, 2 axis and 3 principles

How do you cope with your stress?

There are lots of activities to relax you: sleep, bathing, sports, alcohol, and so on. Each of them has some pros and cons. You should make a genius choice when you are irritated.

First, any stress relievers are categorized with 2 axis: input vs. output, and physical vs. mental.

"Input" means that these activities give you some knowledge or energy to cause an emotion, whereas "output" is to release your thought or emotion to outside. "Physical" and "mental" axis distinguishes that which is dominant in performing the activity.

Writing a poem, or some kind of creative tasks is one of typical activity classified into output-mental activity. In contrast, eating something sweet is obviously physically inputting activity.

I recommend you to adopt your daily activities into this figure. Almost all behaviors fit into one of 4 categories.

Then, I will tell you about some principles of stress reduction with this figure. You have to remember only 3 things after tough time.

(1) You should be balanced in the 4 quadrants
It is the worst to rely on the one activity to resist stress. You will be invulnerable to stress when you have multiple ways of coping. A person who drink everyday would indulge in alcohol. If you are a man who jogs whenever you feel stressed, it will be good for you to try reading some books occasionally.

(2) Select the counter quadrant to the stressor
If you are tired with a tough negotiation, you will be relieved with a sprint. After writing a boring document for work, you may have a petit cake.

(3) Sleep is essential, but not almighty
You must sleep when you are exhausted. Good sleep can regain your energy. However, sleep itself has no power to eliminate your stress In addition, excessive sleep reduces your resistance to stress.

So, enjoy your stressful, but valuable life!

Medical record and big data: an NHS case

In the UK, an argument has occurred regarding to patients' data. It is said that the entire NHS hospital patient database for England was uploaded to Google servers.

The Guardian: NHS England patient data 'uploaded to Google servers', Tory MP says

Google is one of the companies which deal with big data. Its collection and analysis of the data is usually helpful to our daily life. Nowadays, gathering enormous data is absolute power.

However, some people are afraid their personal information is opened to others. They are often opposed to data disclosure. Indeed, you would feel irritated if your personal life is peeped by others. Especially, health data are one of the most sensitive data. For example, medical records of a president would be extremely valuable for the competitors and stakeholders. Leaking of the medical status of a head to an enemy means the ruin of the nation.

Therefore, access to medical information is usually strictly restricted. Even physicians are prohibited to see the medical record of a person who is not concerned.

On the other hand, it is possible that the big data analysis around medical data makes an innovation. For example, most hospitals have their own statistics of the medical treatment. If their data are linked each other, we could find something precious, such as safer method of an operation, or risk factors of some incidents.

The system of the medical record is also underestimated. Many hospitals introduce their original electronic medical record system developed by some industries. But I have never seen a system with good usability. Maybe Google can create a prefer one with low price.

Convenience and security are trade-offs. In my opinion, medical industry should utilize the big data a little more.

Release of medical record

We are sometimes asked by a patient to release the medical record.

I write medical record whenever I meet a client in a hospital. Recording is a duty as a doctor. The medical record is an evidence of treatment. It describes what I plan and perform for the patient.

Then, who is the owner of the medical record?

It is a question which was suggested decades ago. Traditionally, the medical record was deemed as a memorandum of a physician. Many doctors wrote a medical record only for themselves. Thus, it frequently occurred that no one other than the writer can read the record afterwards.

Late 20th century, team operation had been developed in medical situations. The roles of comedical staffs were emphasized. Then, the medical record was also shared within the team.

In Japan, the common language of the medical record was German before. It changed to English, and then into Japanese. Young doctors seldom write German terms, except "Karte," means medical record.

Nowadays, almost all medical records are written in Japanese. In many cases, they are digitized. This enables us to read the record with ease. Nevertheless, there are few patients who want to see their own medical record.

As a principle, the patient has right to investigate it, because it includes some critical information about him or her. However, in some occasions the wish by a patient to watch the medical record is rejected. For example, the record can include some information which may affect the patient's status adversely.

From my experience, most patients who read their medical record tended to lose their control of emotion. The main reason is that, at least in Japan, patients who have a need to disclose their medical record is involved in some troubles around their own treatment or another. Patients who are doubtful to the content of treatment dare to watch the medical record. Unfortunately, it may make them more anxious.

Therefore, though release of medical record is a modern principle, it would not relieve the patients.

There is no miracle

Sometimes you see a miraculous phenomenon. Or you wish so. However, true miracle does not exist.

Every result has its own reason. More or less, there is a relation between cause and effect.

A miraculous success results from an assemble of enormous attempt. In contrast, a terrible failure is usually brought by the combination of multiple mistakes. It is possible that one misfortune leads to tragedy, whereas there is no triumph only by chance.

You can be proud of your success. Meanwhile, it is stupid to hope a satisfactory result without any endeavor.

As to say, "Heaven helps those who help themselves."